Week 6 Challenges: Party on Garth...

WEEK 6:

---

NUTRITION CHALLENGE:
**Eat 9 servings of vegetables/fruit per day.**
+
**Try a new vegetable or fruit that you’ve never had before.**

Explanation:
Week 2’s challenge was about getting two servings of vegetables into every meal. If you were a rockstar at that challenge, then this week should be no problem. If you had some trouble with that week - maybe you were only able to incorporate your veggies into your main meals and not into your snacks - then this week is going to help you refocus your efforts. Either way, 2 servings of veggies at every meal is a great goal and step toward the OVERALL nutritional goal of getting the recommended 9 servings in per day.

And remember, 2-3 of those servings can be from fruit. However, if you’re on a weight-loss journey, stick to a maximum of 2 servings of fruit per day.

Part two of this week’s challenge - super fun!! - try a vegetable or fruit that you’ve never had before! I used to love going up to Nino Salvaggio’s when I was younger and just wandering the produce aisles and reading all the labels of the things that I had never seen before. Jicama, kale, starfruit, goji berries, romanesco - try something!!  If anyone comes up with a sweet new veggie/fruit and cool way to use it - please share!

---

FITNESS CHALLENGE:
**Go for a 1RM (one rep max) in your favorite strength move.**

Explanation:
If I haven’t hammered into your heads enough, I’ll say it again: if you’re not incorporating a regular strength-building program into your training, you might as well be that lil’ figurative hamster on his lil’ figurative wheel. You MUST build muscle to not only burn fat, become “toned”, and maximize your calorie burning potential outside of the gym - but to support your skeletal frame, prevent injury in daily activities, be able to move correctly into old age - to be HEALTHY!

So this week, I want you to take a move that you like - one that you’re familiar with - and determine what your One Rep Max is in that move. I want you to, above all, do this safely, preferably with a spotter if necessary, and with perfect form. Do NOT injure yourself trying to max out on a lift that you’re not familiar with or cannot perform with damn near perfection.

Uh, Cass - how the heck do I do this??  So glad you asked.   This is how I want you to do it.  This method from NSCA (and backed by many other entities and organizations) is science-based and designed for maximum results and safety.  

To determine your 1RM, start by going through a regular dynamic warm up. You should be fresh for the day (no cardio or other training before this) then start warming up in your lift as outlined below.

For example: I dig deadlifts. If I were going for my 1RM in deadlift, I would follow something very close to this (and if you don’t know what your 1RM is, you’ll have to guesstimate…):

• Start with a warm up weight. You should be able to do 5 to 10 reps of this weight. You’re warming your body up for the movement and recruiting the muscle fibers you’ll need for the lift. Do either 2 sets of 5 or a full set of 10. Rest about 1 min.
• Second set should go up 30 to 40 pounds for lower body movements, (or 10 to 20 pounds for upper body). You should do 3 to 5 reps at this weight. Rest about 2 min.
• Your third set should go up again (30-40# or 10-20#) and be near a maximal load for you. You should be able to do 2-3 reps at this weight and then rest 2 to 4 minutes.
• By this next set, you’ll be attempting a 1RM. Increase your weight again based on the difficulty of the last set. You’ll probably add a little less weight this time.
• If you’re successful, go up again and repeat until you max out. If you’re not successful, take some weight off and try again. You are NOT done until you FAIL!  But jumping too high in weight increase will sometimes cause you to fail too soon - so like I said, take some weight off, and try again.  And make sure to give yourself 3-4 minutes in between each 1RM attempt.

Let me know if you have any questions!! And remember - BE SAFE! Let us know how you do!!!

---